Just a Colleague A.U | l.h

Just a Colleague : Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine : Explanations & Promises

"Why are you so tired today, Quinn?" Mr Hemmings sighed, dropping his own to his paper in frustration.

I'd yawned numerous times in the past half an hour during the lunch break and he seemed to be irritable of everything I'd done.

"I just am. I'm sorry, sir", I sighed, resting my chin in my palm.

"Well stop fucking yawning because it's distracting and I'm trying to do my work", Mr Hemmings mumbled, frowning as he took ahold of the pen once again, black ink sprawling across the page as the ball of the pen danced across the embellished paper.

"I'm going to go see Margarie. Then you can hopefully concentrate", I retorted harshly, shunting my chair backwards.

"Don't speak to me like that", Mr Hemmings leered.

"I still find it extremely unfair that you're able to treat me like shit, Mr Hemmings. I know you like power, but this isn't power, it's called being an asshole", I muttered, rubbing at my temples impatiently.

"Shut up, Quinn", Mr Hemmings seethed, his jaw setting tightly as he rose from his seat, slamming his pen to the table. "You don't know fucking shit. You might know about my situation, but you don't understand it and to know, you must have a fucking thorough understanding"

"Oh but I do sir. And I feel awful knowing that you had to go through that. But it still doesn't give you the right to be an asshole. I didn't do it to you. I know you love power, but when I'm restless and shitty, I'll give it to you straight", I hissed, glaring a pane of bitter ice.

"Yeah? Little girls like you don't understand, Quinn. When you've been through shit, let me know, yeah? I know you had the best fucking childhood and all, but not everyone does. Some people have shit happen to them at such a young age and they're stuck with it", the tall man spat through the bitter ice pane.

And I knew I agreed that you learnt and understood from experience. But I'm not clueless and I did understand that Mr Hemmings life had been a traumatic yellow brick road.

Not the one where it leads you straight to victory after hours of mending your mistakes.

Not the one in 'The Wizard of OZ'.

But the one where it takes fucking years to mend every bend and break. And sometimes they're shattered and you can't waste your time sitting there, picking up each shard and gluing it back together. Glue doesn't last a lifetime. But a bend or break can be somewhat mended with the occasional dent and misshape. The bend can be straightened after closure and the break can be healed. It won't appear the same as it used to be, but it won't be hopeless and as weak as it used to be. It could possibly be stronger than it ever had been. But that depended on how you approached seeking closure and what you were willing to do for yourself to mend the broken pieces.

I had more than a vague understanding but Mr Hemmings was oblivious to that.

"Mr Hemmings, I am far from little and I do understand. You're once again belittling me with no Goddamn reason and it fucking frustrates me because you actually don't know shit about me. Yeah, I was shielded from shit as a kid. But I had it all figured out as soon as I stepped foot into the cruel, harsh reality of the world. I may not have faced it alone, I had support. But my parents didn't know I was learning everything and that I figured it out for myself. I was so engaged in learning that I didn't need experience to possess knowledge of some things. I learnt it all through curiosity an listening to so many different people with so many different lifestyles and issues. I'm not oblivious. I understand", I growled, my tone clipped. "Nothing on paper defines anyone on a person and you surely found the shit you know on paper"